Eye-opening Photos and Images From Hurricane Sandy

I knew I wanted to go to journalism school since I was in middle school. However, for a brief moment in college I remember thinking, “I totally want to be a storm chaser when I grew up.” I even told my mom about my consideration to change my career when she called me that day. She immediately asked “Oh like I Helen Hunt in the movie Twister?” I said “Yes, exactly!” She simply responded by asking me what class I had next, to which I replied newsroom. She told me to get there, and let go of the idea immediately — for my safety. Although she was clearly right, in regards to my safety, I am still completely enthralled by big storms like Hurricane Sandy. They are beautiful and such an amazing demonstration of the force that nature has. Simultaneously, I also find them terrifying and am constantly wondering if those I know in their path are going to be alright.

So Monday and Tuesday, I found it a little difficult to stay focused with all the excitement, even three-quarters of a country away. Since I wasn't tracking the storm or preparing for its wrath, I just tracked the people tracking Hurricane Sandy and preparing to deal with it — and then those sifting through the aftermath. Here's a glimpse of some of the most interesting things I have seen so far.

Playtime is Over

The Funtown Pier in Seaside Park has seen been days.

A Roller Coaster of a Week

And it All Crashes Down

The flooding has been bad with Hurricane Sandy, but the wind has caused a great deal of damage as well. Trees have been uprooted throughout its path, including in the Brooklyn neighborhood pictured below.

The City of Lights Goes Dark

New York City is often referred to as "The City of Lights," but much of the city was in a black out Monday night.

Not Much of a Haven

The Sea Shell in Beach Haven, New Jersey was hit hard.

Paddling Through

Many Missoulians love to kayak, but I think even they would be less than happy in this scenario. This photo was taken near the Gliford Park Yacht Club on the Toms River.

Photo by Mary Baran

Coast Guard Rescues Crew When Famous Ship Sinks

The HMS Bounty sank off the coast of North Carolina on Monday. Its crew abandoned the ship onto life rafts. The Coast Guard found and rescued 14 members of the crew, though as of Monday night two were still missing. Check out the news cast from NBC.

Got Gas?

Despite most people stocking up on supplies prior to the hurricane, necessities like gas, water, ice and generators. This photo shows people lining up for gas in Hillsborough, NJ.

Photo by Ray The Prize Guy/TSM

Fish for Supper

McDonald's isn't really known for its freshness. However, Tuesday a listener from our sister station in New Jersey caught a live fish flopping in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Point Pleasant.

Swept Away

The New Jersey Air National Guard released video of Seaside Heights hours after Sandy devastated the shoreline as they searched for displaced residents.

If a Tree Falls in the Forest - No WAIT!

This large tree fell and caused quite a bit of damage for a homeonwer on Grovers Avenue in the community of Black Rock in Buffalo, NY .

Photo by Kat Lee/TSM

A Dry Place to Call Home

Many across the Northeast will call places like this home for awhile. This photo is from a shelter in New Jersey on Monday night. A friend and co-worker of mine from New Jersey slept there after being rescued by boat from his brother's home in New Jersey -- a place he thought would be safer than his home, but the unpredictable hurricane proved otherwise.

Photo by Joe Hyer/TSM

Waterlogged

Water, water everywhere is pretty much the state of things in New York.

No Outlet

A man walks through a flooded street in Little Ferry, NJ.

Getty Images

Under Water

A picture posted Tuesday morning shows the flooding on 14th Street near Consolidated Edison in New York.

Parking Issue

Cars were found floating in a flooded subterranian basement in the Financial District of New York.

Last Woman Standing

A Virgin Mary is all that remains from a home that was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Getty Images

Still Standing

The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot sailboat, was submerged in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina.Of the 16-person crew, the Coast Guard rescued 14, recovered a woman who was later pronounced dead and are searching for the captain. The HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 film Mutiny On The Bounty and was also used in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images

Washed Away

People stand on a mound of construction dirt to view the area where a 2,000-foot section of the 'uptown' boardwalk was destroyed by flooding from Hurricane Sandy in Atlantic City, NJ.

Getty Images

High Rollers

Waves crash next to an Atlantic City apartment building.

Sifting Through the Rubble

People look through the remains of homes destroyed during Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Getty Images

No Mail Service

Those that live on this street on Grandview Island in Hampton, Virg. won't be getting mail for awhile to say the least.

Queens Neighborhood Leveled by Fire

A fire tore through a Queens neighborhood and destroyed more than 50 homes. I've seen later reports that put that number at more than 70. The fire broke out Monday night during the hurricane. When firefighters arrived on the scene at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning that struggled to combat the fire in strong winds and flooding.

Getty Images

New York City = No Traffic

New York is known for its traffic. That's what people go there to see, right? I've admittedly never been, but seriously all I ever here from those I know that work there is that no one drives because it is such a nightmare to get in and out of the city. Not today, though. Not today.

Image courtesy of Steve Frost/TSM

Fake Photos

Is the drama of a natural disaster really not enough for people? Must we resort to posting fake pictures?

Everyone is Out of Power, But Everyone is Online

Apparently nearly 1.2 million utility customers in New Jersey alone were out of power Monday evening. However, I have co-workers who live there who were already back up and running within a couple of hours of losing it. When we lose power due to a minor wind storm in Missoula it can take hours to get it back... or even longer. Additionally, Facebook is alive and well on the East Coast no matter what Sandy has to say about things. Apparently in this day and age we all have a back up plan to keep us connected there, even if we have to go without TV.

New York Turned Into a Ghost Town

New York City has a lot of people, clearly. So all I could think this morning when I heard that everything was shut down was how weird that must be. I loved seeing this picture of the empty subway station. I saw another today that was of the empty stock exchange. How strange! In fact, Hurricane Sandy caused the first weather-related closure of the stock market in 27 years.

Photo courtesy of MTA/Flickr

There Goes the Boardwalk

This picture of the boardwalk in Atlantic City getting wiped out was one of the most dramatic I've seen yet. The impact is incredible. I was just there six months ago, so it is even more shocking.

Facebook

Humor in Tragic Times

One of the guys at our sister station in Grand Junction, Colorado has been finding some bits of humor in hurricane. He posted this photo on his Facebook, and also put together this funny drinking game.

Photo courtesy of Tim Gray/TSM

Don't Buy the English Muffins!

A friend of mine who works for our company out of New Jersey posted this picture Sunday on Facebook with the comment "I guess everyone realized that English muffins aren't good if you don't have electricity for a toaster." I know this sounds mean and lacking in the faith of humankind, but I am kind of surprised everyone figured that out.

Photo courtesy of Joe Hyer/TSM

New Meaning to Open House

The facade fell off the front of a four-story Manhattan building, leaving apartments visible from the street.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Chris Christie - A Truly Straightforward Politician

I saw this press conference when I was at the gym Sunday. Prior to this I had only heard rumor of Christie's blunt speeches, but now I know for sure that the man leaves no grey area in his directions. "I turn out to be right, and you turn out to be dead, that's not a good equation."

Bad News is No News

I clearly believe in safety first, so I can't decide if it bothers me that seven newspapers will not be printed in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania for their Tuesday editions. Aren't newspapers supposed to be a dependable constant? They are one of the longest existing forms of media, and have been printed through all kinds of tragic events. The leading reason to suspend delivery was to protect the safety of production and delivery personnel and other workers. Tuesday's paper will go out with Wednesday's, or whenever delivery resumes. The contents of the papers will be available online, but I'm not sure how much good that will do for those who aren't prepared to depend on the Internet for news. I guess the idea of risking life and limb to inform the public ends at journalists and weathermen. Or there is the other side of the coin -- it sure is nice that we can get people news online and not have to worry about printing the paper.

CRASH!

The size of these waves is pretty amazing! I bet these weren't even the most massive. This photo was taken in Winthrop, MA.

Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images

Water, Water EVERYWHERE

Someone asked me today if I thought the subway tunnels in New York would fill up with water. This is a screen shot from a video of flood water pouring into the Hoboken Path Station in New Jersey.

Image courtesy of Eric Meier/TSM

Honor Through the Storm

Early in the day Monday, a photo of three soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Solider circulated Facebook. I, as well as many of my friends, was very moved by the photo that was captioned as being from the midst of Hurricane Sandy hitting the East Coast. However, it was actually from September. That information changes very little though. In fact, members of The Old Guard did keep watch over the tomb today during Hurricane Sandy at Arlington National Cemetery in accordance with their creed. The photo below was taken today and posted on The Old Guard's Facebook page.

Facebook

Ground Zero Under Water

One of my colleagues in New York posted this picture of Ground Zero on Monday night.

Image courtesy of cbsnews.com

Ocean Front Property, Eh?

So remember that time you said you wanted to leave Montana and get a nice piece of ocean front property? The phrase "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it," seems too mean to even be fitting right now. I will say that I heard some folks on the radio in New Jersey making the joke "I always wanted bay property and now I got it."

Carousel on the Water

The children, and many of the adults, love A Carousel for Missoula. Imagine if one day the river flooded and the carousel was surrounded by water. What a sight that would be! Well, that's what's going on in Brooklyn. Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park was surrounded by water on Monday night.

More to Come...

I've been adding to this since Monday night, so I know there will be even more interesting images and situations to share. Check back and I'll keep adding to this least over the next few days.

To those on the East Coast, stay safe! We're hoping for the best for all of you... even all the way in Montana!

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